3.6.11

Easy-Fits vs. Bum Genius 4.0

I've talked a lot about cloth diapers, but I've never experienced a brand other than my own first hand. I've researched for hours and hours, both before choosing to go with Easy-Fit diapers by Tots Bots, a Scottish company, while using them, and even to help friends decide which brand may be best for them. I know many people who use Bum Genius 4.0 cloth diapers, and in the USA they're one of the most popular brand's hands down (in fact, when people find out I use cloth diapers, that actually have said "oh, you use Bum Genius?"). But research aside, nothing compares to actually using a brand on your baby to help you make the final decision.

Last week, I capitalized on a Memorial Day sale at a local shop here in Louisville and bought a Fuzzibunz diaper for my BFF Jamie, whose baby shower I'm hosting in August. I noticed Bum Genius diapers were really inexpensive, and with the sale, I decided to buy one. Partly because of curiosity, and partly because it was pink, and Lily doesn't have any pink diapers :) It is notable that the majority of my findings for the Bum Genius are similar to the Fuzzibunzand Apple Cheeks brand.

vs.

Here's my findings:

(BG - Bum Genius 4.0, EF - Easy-Fits, Green - best of the two per category)

EF - good variety, but more primary colours. no purples or pinks, to my dismay.

SO many cute colours with the BG!

SIZES:

Both diapers are one-size-fits-all, and boast diapering your baby from 8-35lbs.

SIMPLICITY:

BG - snap enclosures allow a variety of shaped/sized babies to wear them with ease, but they're tricky to put on. With four snaps needing to be in the right place every diaper change, I grew very frustrated and it was far more time-consuming.

EF - while there are snap enclosures for the vertical fitting (that you change only every several months as your baby outgrows, just like BG), the waste enclosure is Velcro, making this diaper as easy to put on ad take off as a Pampers diaper. Quick, simple.

too many snaps, too much time. definitely not a one-handed job

WASHABILITY:

BG - while this diaper says it's an all-in-one diaper, it's actually not. It comes with the absorbent liners, but they're not attached. Meaning you must remove the stuffed liner with your hands once it's soiled. To me, this is a nasty element of some cloth diaper that I'd rather avoid. Many users have told me you don't *have* to take out the liners, that your washer can do that for us, but honestly every.single.time I forget to take out the liner, it stays stuck in there for the whole wash.

EF- are truly an all-in-one diaper, meaning you never un-stuff a liner. Since it's attached, in the wash the stuffed part of the liner easily comes out. You simply throw a soiled diaper in the washer and it comes out clean. No mess.

never have to touch the liner with an EF!

LONGEVITY:

BG- since this diaper isn't truly an all-in-one diaper, if the absorbent liner wears out or the fabric stops absorbing (which can happen after a few kids), you only have to replace the liner and not the whole diaper.

EF - As I mentioned before, this diaper would have to be 100% replaced if the liner stopped absorbing. While we did the math and even if we had to restock our entire stash, we'd still save money compared to using disposables, this is the down side to the simplicity of an all-in-one.

There you have it! I did second guess my decision to go all-in-one when I learned that our Easy Fit diapers might not last for 2-4 kids, but after using the type of diaper where you have to stuff and un-stuff a soiled diaper, I'm unsure. Poo grosses me out. Plain and simple. Plus those darn snaps drove me mad ;) All in all though, the Bum Genius (and Fuzzibunz and Apple Cheeks) are great choices for diapering your baby in an earth-friendly, economic way. I know several people who are really happy using the Bum Genius diapers, and I would recommend them to other people. I'm really happy with my Easy Fits and I like the Bum Genius diapers too!

4 comments:

Emily. I found your blog by googling ideas for a co-ed nursery. I have a 18month daughter and am expecting another baby in March, though we are going to wait to find out the sex. I thought it was pretty cool to happen upon your blog, being that we are both Christians, have young daughters, my hubby is from Canada (Manitoba), cloth diaper, and like to have a routine for our babies. So I thought I'd say hi! I also use bum genius diapers, but I never pull out the inserts when washing them. Sometimes one will stay in... maybe every other load, but that's worth it to me, vs having to touch all the dirty ones. I have a front loader. It could be worth a try to see if you can skip that step. Blessings, Melissa

bumGenius doesn't only come in snaps - they come in hook & loop (hook & loop is what they call velcro tabs), so it's just as simple, if not simpler, than a disposable diaper.

Also...

You don't actually have to touch the poop when washing the diapers. You don't reach into the diaper and grab the poop! To remove it, you take the entire diaper and hover it over your toilet and dump what poop is in it BEFORE you reach in and remove the insert.

That said...

At the risk of sounding rude (which is not my intention! So, please do not take offense!) *ahem*...

Personally, I would eat my kids' chit with a spoon if I had to; really, any mother would. Again, no offense!